Page 9 of Her Faithful Protector

I quirk my lips sideways. “Okay.”

“Ave, you’re not in California anymore. You have to get used to seeing more cattle than humans.”

“Hey, I’m not a city brat, you know. I can handle rural!”

Morgan giggles. “The next town is only four miles away. The stores there are pretty good. And you’re not that far from the city. By city, I mean the Red Mark HQ. Ty has arranged for the guys to come check on you every day.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“You can never be too careful. Willem will suspect you’re in Helena with me, but I rented this house under a fake name. So there’s nothing that ties this place to you or me.”

“Thanks, Morgie.”

“Besides, I won’t be here. So there’s no chance of Willem kidnapping and interrogating me.”

Fright and confusion drive me to frown. Frightened because I can’t bear the thought of my ex torturing my best friend and confused because I’m not sure what she means by ‘I won’t be here.’

Morgan laughs, perhaps noticing my expression. “I mean, damn, I’m still going on my honeymoon!”

I ambush her with a joyful hug. “You managed to rearrange your bookings?”

“Ave, good things happen to good people!” she teases me. “When you didn’t show up two days ago, Ty and I took a chance at rescheduling everything instead of canceling. We gave ourselves until today. If you hadn’t turned up, we would’ve canceled everything because it would mean you were in serious trouble.”

“Are you still meeting your researcher friend in Antarctica?” I ask. It seems that my best friend, who’s a wolf researcher by trade, can’t resist combining wildlife with romance, even on her honeymoon.

“Hell yeah. He’s stationed there long-term, so getting there a few days late won’t matter.”

“Luckily, there’re no wolves in that part of the world. Imagine all the penguins!”

Morgan laughs. “Nature knows how to take care of itself.”

Suddenly, Morgan gets a call. She answers. “Yeah? Oh, good… She’s here. Yeah. She’s safe.” She then waits for a while to listen. “No! No, don’t you dare turn around! You hop on that plane, and we’ll see you soon.” She raises her eyes to me, sparkling like her wish-upon-a-star has just come true.

“Who’s that?”

“Your babysitter.”

“What?”

“Not Quinton’s.Yours.”

This is the second time my friend confuses me in a matter of minutes.

Morgan laughs again. “After all, you were right. There won’t be any need for the Red Mark guys to check on you.”

“Morgie, who was that?”

“It was Jack, silly!”

Warmth fills my chest as if sparked by crackling firewood. Yet, amid these sensations, strange numbness consumes me. This wasn’t part of my plan. The man who has haunted my dreams, the man I never expected to reenter my life, will soon be standing here beside me.

“Jack? Why?” I murmur.

“I called him when you didn’t show up as planned.”

“And he’s still coming even though I’m here?”

“He is still comingbecauseyou’re here! As we speak, he’s boarding a plane bound for Helena after a layover at LAX. So he should be here this afternoon.”

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